Unity
by Queen Sunstar
Summary: Dark Oak returns in a more powerful form, and it is up to Sonic, Shadow, and Silver to stop him. When tragedy stikes in battle, can the two remaining heroes pull themselves together to save their world? Read and review to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Queen Sunstar: I am known for my Mario Bros stories. I decided to try my hand at a Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfic. I don't own Sonic.**

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**Unity**

**Chapter One**

Knuckles, a red echidna, stared at the softly glowing Master Emerald. His eyes widened.

"_Three heroes will leave, but two shall return. One hero will make a sacrifice, one will be injured, and one will tell all. A darkness unlike any you've seen before will roll in to cover the land, and seven will become eight._" A male voice intoned.

"When does this happen?" Knuckles asked.

He got no response.

"It sure is nice getting visions of the future that require closed captioning to decipher!" Knuckles stormed off.

He burst out into blinding daylight, and walked into the woods, going to a place he knew and loved. He heard the sound of the waterfall, and came up to it. He sat with his back against a tree, and was lulled to sleep by the sound of the waterfall.

_Knuckles stared in horror at the rolling black clouds. Something evil laughed. Knuckles could see a pair of blood red eyes outlined in the clouds. Below him, he could see a blue blur and a black blur running side by side with a silvery glow flying over them. There was a flash of light, and Knuckles saw eight chaos emeralds surrounding two figures. He couldn't tell who they were..._

"Knuckles! Wake up!" A voice commanded.

Knuckles woke up in a cold sweat.

"Rogue? Shadow? What are you two doing here?" Knuckles asked.

"Shadow came by, and said he wanted to talk with you." Rogue said.

Rogue had lived with Knuckles since her apartment complex burned down to the ground. They were room mates as she put it.

"Well, I am listening." Knuckles said.

"Rogue, leave us. This is private." Shadow said, sitting. Rogue left.

"Still waiting." Knuckles said.

"Has the Master Emerald spoke to you recently?" Shadow asked.

"Are you feeling okay?" Knuckles asked, unsure of whether or not to tell of his visions to the red and black hedgehog.

"I am feeling great. The reason I am asking is because I have been having dreams, nightmares, really. Something evil is coming, Knuckles, and I think there is an eighth chaos emerald out there that can stop it." Shadow said.

"I had two visions, was what you saw a black mass of clouds with red eyes?" Knuckles asked, dreading the answer.

"Yes, but I think I saw, oh never mind, its not important." Shadow said.

"I saw you, Sonic, and that new guy, Silver, racing off to fight this thing, and there was a glow. I saw eight chaos emeralds, and two of you working together. I couldn't tell who." Knuckles stood.

"those weren't visions." Shadow stood, "Those were warnings."

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Sonic ran. He loved the feeling of the wind against his body, and being free. Suddenly, a deep sense of foreboding washed over him, bringing him to a complete stop.

"what is going on?" Sonic thought. He turned, and ran back to the village. He knew something was coming, something evil, but what was it?

"Sonic." Somebody said.

Sonic jumped, and turned to snap at who spoke, but his expression softened as he recognized Amy Rose, his wife.

"You are jumpy today, Sonic." Amy said.

"I was elsewhere, thinking." Sonic said.

"About what?" Amy asked.

"its nothing." Sonic answered

The ground rumbled violently, and the sky grew dark. Huge black clouds rolled in, blocking the sunlight. Sonic pushed Amy behind him, and tensed, getting ready for a fight he knew was coming.

"Sonic?" Amy asked, worriedly.

"Amy, go! You will be safe at home! Go!" Sonic ordered.

"No, Sonic. I am not leaving you!" Amy cried.

"Amy, I want you safe. This battle is going to be dangerous, and I don't want you involved. Please, for me, go home, and you will be safe. I promise I will be home later." Sonic pleaded with her.

He locked eyes with her, and she obeyed him reluctantly.

"Sonic… Be careful. I love you." She whispered, running home.

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"Its starting! Give me the master emerald!" Shadow screamed into the howling wind.

"No way! I am not trusting you with the emerald! Are you insane?" Knuckles screamed back.

"You have to give me the emerald now! I know who and what that is! it's the only way! Trust me!" Shadow screamed.

"Trust you? Hello, you tried to kill me once, remember?" Knuckles cried.

"Knuckles, I have no time for this! I need the Master Emerald now! Do you want to lose Mobius?" Shadow asked.

"But-" Knuckles tried.

"I promise I will return the emerald as soon as I am finished with using it, okay?" Shadow asked, his voice pleading.

"Okay, but, I expect you to hand it back to me in one piece!" Knuckles reluctantly handed the Master Emerald over to Shadow, who chaos controlled out to the village.

"Shadow, do you know what that is?" Sonic asked.

"Yes. Where is Silver?" Shadow asked.

"I am right here!" Silver landed behind them, "Shadow, do you have something to do with this?"

"I will come out clean. This is the dark form of Dark Oak. It is up to us to fight, and win." Shadow said.

"Dark form?" Silver questioned.

Silver is a gray colored Hedgehog with the ability to control the elements. He was another Ultimate Life Form discovered months after Shadow had been found.

"Each creature has a Light Form and a Dark Form. When Sonic goes Super Sonic, that is his Light Form. If he goes Shadow Sonic, that would be his Dark Form. Understand, now, Silver?" Shadow explained.

"I get it, now." Silver said.

"We need the chaos emeralds!" Sonic said, "I used them before to defeat Dark Oak."

"It won't be easy, but we have to defeat the Dark Form of Dark Oak, to save Mobius. I have the Master Emerald. Lets do this." Shadow said.

"Lead the way, Sonic." Silver said.

The three heroes raced off to meet the darkness.

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**Queen Sunstar: What do you think? Please review and tell me! Did I do a good job? Want more to the story? Let me know by reviewing!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Queen Sunstar: I don't own Sonic, or any of his friends, and enemies. I will update once a week, review or no reviews. Reviews boost my confidence, so thanks to Donna() for the kind Review! Here is chapter two! Warning, this chapter is a tear jerker, and you have been warned! I am in rare form right now.**

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**Chapter Two**

The three heroes raced to meet the darkness. Both sides hit head on.

"Chaos blast!" Shadow released the master emeralds light.

"Elemental assault!" Silver was overhead, using the elements, and causing damage.

Sonic went into a super spin, and attacked by ripping through the cloud cover.

"_My turn. weaklings! Lets try a shadow wave!_" Dark Oak roared.

A wave of pure darkness rolled forward. Shadow took a direct hit, dropping the Master Emerald. He felt himself fall, and was out before hitting the ground. Sonic took the Emerald, and turned to Silver.

"Get Shadow out of here! I am going to finish this!" Sonic screamed.

"But-" Silver started.

"Go! Amy will help you!" Sonic ordered.

"I am not leaving you to fight alone!" Silver screamed.

"Fine! But get Shadow out of harms way!" Sonic called.

Dark Oak sent another wave of pure darkness at them. Sonic used the Master Emerald to form a silvery shield around them. It cracked, and Sonic struggled to keep it up. Then, a pure white light surrounded him. Shadow woke up, but blacked out again. He saw seven figures surrounding Sonic. Silver threw himself over the black Hedgehog, protecting him with his body.

"Sonic." someone spoke. Seven figures emerged from the light.

"What happened?" Sonic wondered, hearing his name being called. He turned, and did a double take. The seven figures walking toward him were all different colored Hedgehogs.

"Sonic, with you it ends." a purple female spoke next.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked.

"We are the Emeralds. I am Cyclone, former guardian of the Master Emerald. I was the last one." Cyclone was blood red, and had a scar over his right eye.

"I am Aleena. I was the first." Aleena, the purple hedgehog, said.

"I am Topaz, I was the second." Topaz, another female who was yellow, said.

"I am Magenta, I was the third." Magenta was a dark pink female hedgehog.

"I am Tornado, and I was the forth." Tornado was a dark gray male hedgehog.

"I am Velocity, and I was the fifth." Velocity was a dark green female Hedgehog.

"I am Alacrity, and I was the sixth." Alacrity was a light green male Hedgehog.

"With you, it ends." Aleena said.

"What ends with me? I don't understand!" Sonic cried.

"The fighting will end. Dark Oak has been around for a long time. It was my fault that he was released. I will take you back to the last days of our kingdom, before it was destroyed. Mobius was a beautiful place. Our race prospered. I found a tunnel, leading underground." Aleena's voice faded away, and Sonic watched as history unfolded around him.

_Aleena walked down a long tunnel. She stopped after a while at a metal door. The door was made of metal she had never seen before. Its surface was black, and there were bars in the window on top of the door. Cautiously, Aleena looked into the room. It smelled musty, and something black moved around the tiny space inside. Aleena raised her lantern, casting some light into the little room. The shadow inside screamed, as if in pain, and shrank back from the light. She saw a tiny table, a bed in one corner, and a sink in the other corner. There was a chair next to the table. Aleena noticed an inscription on the door, and read it._

_"Dark Oak, very dangerous, do not release under any circumstances." She read. _

History jumped forward a few weeks.

_Aleena returned to the door. She noticed there were dents in the door. It looked like 'Dark Oak' was trying to escape. Aleena went up to the window with her lantern set on low. She swept the light around the room. She saw the being curled up on its bed. As Aleena climbed down from the window, her foot hit the latch, unlocking the door. Aleena didn't notice that the latch was up as she left._

Again, History jumped forward a few days.

_The town burned. Black creatures filled the sky. Aleena ran outside, and bit back a scream. Something inside her snapped, and rage filled her insides. A burst of light surrounded her, and she went after Dark Oak. In the ruinous battle the ensued, Aleena lost her life, and became a crystal. _

"I gave my life, trying to defeat Dark Oak. The others did the same in their generations. Now, it is up to you. With you it ends." Aleena finished her tale.

"I am supposed to vanquish the Dark Oak?" Sonic wasn't sure what to make of all of this.

"No." It was Tornado who spoke.

"The sacrifices will end with you." Alacrity said.

Sonic looked around, and noticed for the first time that time stood still. Silver was floating a few inches over a wide eyed Shadow, and Dark Oak's mouth was half open, as if he were still talking. Sonic turned back to the spirits.

"What do I need to do?" He asked.

"You need to release the master emeralds light." Velocity said.

"But you won't survive it." Cyclone finished.

Sonic turned back to Silver, and Shadow. An image of Amy flashed by in his mind. He saw Tails, Cream, Cheese, Rogue, and Knuckles pass by in his mind. Then he saw Chris, the human boy who had taken them in while they were stuck on Earth, and later helped them find the chaos emeralds again.

'_Chris! I can't do this to Chris! Or Amy, and the others!_' Sonic closed his eyes, and decided. He knew he didn't have much choice in this.

'_Forgive me, Amy. Shadow, take care of her._' Sonic turned back to Dark Oak. The Spirits floated behind him, watching, and waiting. Sonic closed his eyes for the last time, and let the Master Emeralds power flow through him. He heard the Dark Oak scream, and opened his eyes, watching the darkness dissipate. He saw the Dark Oak disappear in a burst of darkness, and knew, the battle was over.

Silver dared to open his eyes. He was laying on top of Shadow, who was still out from the blast he had received in the battle. Sunlight poured from the sky, and everything was quiet, and calm. Silver stood, and walked over to where the Master Emerald lay. Laying next to it, sparkling in the calm afternoon light, was a smaller dark blue emerald. Silver looked around frantically for Sonic, and did not see him. Carefully, the silver colored hedgehog picked up the dark blue emerald.

"No. NOO!" Silvers cry pierced the stillness.

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Shadow felt as if someone was playing 'Little Drummer Boy' at warp speed behind his temples. Slowly, he cracked open his eyes, one eye at a time. The light caused him to wince and shut both eyes.

"Headache?" Someone asked.

Shadow nodded yes, and winced as the movement caused his temples to pound harder. A cup was put into his hands, and someone helped him sit up.

"Drink." the someone said.

Shadow obeyed, and drank. Slowly, the pain receded, and he finally opened his eyes. He turned, and came eyeball to eyeball with Tails. Right away, he saw that something was wrong. Tails eyes were red and puffy, like he had been crying a lot. A sickening feeling took root inside Shadows stomach.

"No." He whispered.

"Let me go get Amy, and let her know you woke up." Tails left, taking the cup with him.

"Sonic has to be okay. Tails never cries like that, unless something happened, something bad." Shadow thought, and remembered the battle.

The door opened, and Silver came in followed by Amy. Shadow felt his heart jump into his throat. Amy's eyes were red and puffy like she had been crying a lot. She was trembling. Silver didn't look much better. Amy walked over to him, and fell into his arms as a fresh wave of tears cascaded down her face. This confirmed Shadows worst fear. He wrapped his arms around Amy's shoulders, letting her cry into his own shoulder.

"Silver, where is Sonic?" Shadow asked, not believing the evidence in front of him.

"He's gone, Shadow." Silver turned away.

"Sonic is gone as in?" Shadow didn't finish his sentence.

"Do I need to spell it out for you? Sonic died! He gave his life for us out there! How else to you want me to say it?" Silver exploded, losing what control he had over his emotions.

"Geez, Silver! I was only asking! Did Dark Oak do it?" Shadow asked, raising his voice.

"I am not sure, okay? I found this sitting next to the Master Emerald! I am pretty sure its what I think it is! Rogue and Knuckles are on their way, and somebody has to contact Chris in the Human World!" Silver screamed.

"That's a Chaos Emerald, genius!" Shadow snapped.

At that moment, Knuckles blew into the room.

"WHERE'S THE MASTER EMERALD?" He screamed.

Everyone turned, and stared at him in complete shock. Knuckles felt himself starting to blush. Rogue, who was right behind him, all but crammed her hand into her mouth to keep from laughing. Knuckles covered his mouth.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud." Knuckles whispered, wishing he could disappear.

"Knuckles!" Silver scolded.

"I know, Silver, I know." Knuckles said.

"Knuckles, I have the Master Emerald right here, and I found this right next to it. It is a chaos emerald, right?" Silver asked.

"Let me see it." Knuckles took the emerald.

Through all of this, Shadow continued to hold Amy. Her soft sobs had quieted down, but she stayed in Shadows arms, finding comfort in his embrace.

Knuckles stared at the emerald, and felt it come alive. He felt a vision come on.

"I see light, and seven other beings." Knuckles fell silent. He saw the battle unfolding before him. He saw Sonics indecision, and watched as Sonic finally decided, turning toward the light. The vision ended abruptly.

"Well?" Shadow asked.

"I saw Sonic. I am going to have a chat with Chaos, and see if he knows anything about the Emeralds. This is an authentic chaos emerald." Knuckles said, turning towards the door, "Shadow, its good to have you awake." With that, he left.

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**Queen Sunstar: Review, and tell me how I did. Don't panic, Sonic fans, and stop cheering, Shadow fans, but I have plans for this story. This may be my last update until the new year, because its December, and I am very busy in December. I will try to get in one more update at least, by the new year. Please do review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Queen Sunstar: I know I said I would update weekly, but I ran into major computer problems, and I have a two hour time limit on the Laptop per day. Like I said last chapter, I have plans for this story. I don't own anything regarding Sonic.**

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Knuckles looked down at the dark blue emerald.

"You were the eighth emerald, Sonic. Why did you die for us all?" Knuckles asked the emerald, and like he expected, he got no answer.

Knuckles returned to Angel Island, and walked to the shrine.

"Chaos! I need to talk to you!" Knuckles put the master emerald back in its place where it belonged. There was a gurgling sound. Knuckles turned to it, and smiled.

"Chaos, I have questions I want answered." Knuckles said.

Chaos replied with a gurgling note, and dove underwater. The water god popped up, and dove underwater again. It popped up out of the water, and watched Knuckles. Knuckles walked over to the pool, and knelt by it. He plunged his head underwater, and heard the god speak clearly.

"**Each Emerald is a sacrifice made by a previous generation. With this one, it ends. It will take a unified front to control all eight Emeralds.**" Chaos said.

Knuckles pulled his head out of the water.

"What about Sonic?" He asked, and plunged his head underwater to hear the answer.

'_Note to self, must have Tails invent something to make communicating to Chaos easier._' He thought.

"**Sonic gave up his physical form to damage Dark Oak. His spirit is trapped within the Emerald. He can be freed. That is up to Shadow and Silver, as it is their quest.**" Chaos said.

"Quest?" Knuckles questioned, after coming up for air.

"**Sonic can be freed. He still has life left. The others, its too late for them. Tell Shadow, and Silver that they have until noon, two days from now, to free him. If they don't, Sonic will remain an emerald forever.**" Chaos explained.

"Okay, I will tell them, then. What about Dark Oak?" Knuckles took a deep breath, and plunged his head back into the water.

"**The dark Oak will return, but Shadow and Silver must work together, and unlock their true power. I am afraid I can't tell you more about this.**" Chaos said.

Knuckles stared at Chaos, forgetting that he needed air. His lungs remembered first, and tried to inhale. All they got was water. Knuckles pulled his head out of the water, gasping, and coughing up water.

"Note to self, definitely get Tails to invent something to make communication with chaos much easier." Knuckles said, finally breathing right again. He stood, and walked back to Amy's house.

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Amy tried to keep herself busy, cleaning her house, but her mind wandered back to the one she loved. The tears came before she could stop them. She heard the door open, and looked up. Shadow walked in with Silver right behind him.

"Amy…" Shadow joined her in the living room. Once again, she found herself crying on his shoulder. She felt a hand brushing her pink quills.

"I can't help it, Shadow! It hurts so much right now! I miss him so much it hurts!" Amy cried.

"I miss him to, Amy. Remember this, Sonic is in a better place now. Where he is, he doesn't hurt anymore." Shadow said. He heard Silver start crying.

"That was beautiful, Shadow! You do have a soft side in there, somewhere!" Silver bawled.

"Can it, Silver." Shadow growled, and stopped. He wondered if Silver was right, if he did have a soft side. The black hedgehog realized he was feeling two conflicting emotions at once, the first was anger, and the need to punch out Silver, and the other was an emotion that scared him. It was deep sadness.

"_Am I grieving?_" He wondered.

Just then, Knuckles walked into the house. His dreadlocks were still wet.

"Silver, Shadow, I need to talk to you." He said.

"Not without me." Amy said, still in Shadows arms.

"Chaos specifically said my message was for Silver and Shadow." Knuckles said.

"Okay, fine, I will leave you three and go upstairs to clean." Amy said, head down, she walked up her stairs, and began to clean.

"Knuckles!" Silver scolded.

"Shadow, and Silver, you two have a quest. You must take this Emerald, and talk to Chaos. He said that we still have time to free Sonic. You have until noon, two days from now, to free him." Knuckles said.

"I'll go." Silver spoke first.

"I'll go." Shadow said without a moments hesitation.

"Good. Here is the Emerald, and here is the Master Emerald. Chaos said to give both to you." Knuckles said, "And you are to go to him."

Silver took Sonic's Emerald, while Shadow took the Master Emerald. They took off, and arrived at Angel Island. Behind them, dark, ominous, clouds rolled in. Silver saw the danger first.

"We have to hurry! Dark Oak is rolling back in!" Silver called.

"Oh no! Not again!" Shadow cried.

They raced into the shrine, and Silver raised a ball of water.

"Talk, Chaos! We don't have much time!" Shadow screamed.

"**You need to go to Rockwell Ruins. All will become clear at the shrine there. Defeat Dark Oak first.**" Chaos explained.

"Rockwell Ruins?" Silver questioned.

"**All will become clear.**" Chaos said.

"Chaos! Now is so not the time to be talking in riddles!" Shadow cried.

"**To win, you must unlock your true power.**" Chaos said.

Angel Island buckled under their feet. Silver grabbed Shadow by the arm and levitated out of the shrine. Once again, they stared at Dark Oak, in dark form.

"What do we do now?" Silver asked, his eyes wide with terror.

"I don't know, Silver." Shadow whispered, fear in his voice.

"_Work… together…_" A familiar voice whispered from across a great divide.

"Shadow? Did you hear that? Was that who I think it was?" Silver asked, his voice high from fear.

"Sonic…" Shadow whispered, "why does it feel as if you are with us?"

"Shadow?" Silver tried again.

"We need only one Emerald. We need the Master Emerald, and we need to work together." Shadow said, a cool determination sparking in his green eyes.

"Work together? But how?" Silver asked.

"Silver, I am not in the mood to play twenty questions with you. Put your hands on the emerald." Shadow snapped, and quickly cooled his rising temper.

Silver put both hands on the Emerald, and Shadow mimicked him, by doing the same thing. The Emerald glowed white, and Shadow felt an odd sensation creep up his back. He looked down, expecting to see black fur, but he saw white fur. He looked over to Silver, and saw darker gray fur covering the once silvery hedgehog. Shadow felt the way he did when he went into his hyper mode. He looked behind him, and saw eight figures, all hedgehogs, glowing softly. Shadow recognized a certain blue hedgehog.

"Sonic!" Silver screamed.

Sonic's face remained impassive.

"No way… Each emerald is the spirit of a past generation heroes and heroines." Shadow whispered, in awe.

"Aleena, Topaz, Magenta, Tornado," Silver began.

"Velocity, Alacrity, Cyclone, Sonic," Shadow added.

"Heroes rise and stand beside us," Silver intoned.

"Heroines, rise and stand beside us." Shadow put in.

"From across time and space we come, to lend a hand and vanquish our common foe forever!" Eight voices rose behind them.

The Master Emerald glowed even brighter. It grew so bright that one had to look away or risk searing ones eyeballs. White hot light shot forward. The Dark Oak sent a blast of darkness to meet the oncoming white light. It held the light at bay.

"No, we can't win!" Silver screamed.

"Our true power… what is it?" Shadow asked himself. He thought of his past battles, and one particular battle surfaced in his mind. He remembered being so angry, and lashing out at Sonic. He recalled how his fists had glowed crimson. On the other side of the Emerald, Silver did the same thing. He recalled a battle where he had been so happy. He had enjoyed the thrill that the battle had given him. With out realizing it, he started to laugh silently. Shadow let his anger boil, while Silver let his happiness grow. Suddenly, Shadow was enveloped in crimson light, while Silver was enveloped in yellow light. Crimson light and yellow light flooded the Emerald, and caused it to glow even brighter then before. The light ripped through the darkness, and Dark Oak screamed. He exploded in a burst of shadowy light. The emerald stopped glowing.

"Shadow, Silver, when you wake up, go to Rockwell, and set me free." Sonic whispered silently, watching as Shadow and Silver reverted back to their normal colors, and dropping down onto the ground in unconscious states. He glowed blue, and reverted back to emerald form.

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Tails whistled as he flew the X Tornado in the sky. He zoned out, and was suddenly jerked back into reality when the sky got dark.

"What the… Its early afternoon! Its not supposed to get dark until around 6:30pm!" Tails exclaimed, taking readings of the dark sky. He starred in dismay at what they told him.

"Dark Oak…" He growled, and felt a fresh pang of grief. Suddenly, a white light blazed into existence below him. He watched in dumbfounded silence as Shadow and Silver worked in perfect unity to defeat the darkness, and suddenly, the battle was over. Sunlight spilled over the land.

"Shadow? Silver?" Tails landed the X Tornado near the fallen Hedgehogs. He got out, and moved them inside the X Tornado. He picked up the two Emeralds. The blue one glowed still. It felt warm, almost as if it were alive. Tails felt another pang of grief. He missed Sonic.

"I'll take you to Amy." Tails decided, flying off again.

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Silver felt the vibrations of the engine, and woke up. He recognized the X Tornado, and remembered the battle. There was a groan, and Shadow woke up. He sat up, and saw Tails in the drivers seat of the X Tornado.

"Tails, we have to go to Rockwell Ruins. It is urgent!" Shadow cried.

"Good to see that you two are awake. You were both pretty impressive in battle, out there. Sonic would have been proud." Tails said, his voice quiet.

"Tails, there may be away to get Sonic back. We have to go to Rockwell Ruins to find out for sure. His emerald still glows." Silver explained.

"Stop fooling yourselves. You said yourself, Silver, that Sonic died." Tails said.

"Chaos believes otherwise, Tails. Please take us to Rockwell." Shadow pleaded.

"Okay, fine." Tails said, changing directions, and flying off into the horizon.

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**Queen Sunstar: That's it for chapter three. Next chapter is the last one. I will be back sometime in the next year, after I finish my other stories. I will have a fresh new sonic fan fiction set in the sonic/sally world, coming up next, after I finish a fan fiction in the star trek Enterprise section, and both of my Mario Bros fan fictions in the Mario section. Please Review! I would like to know how my story is doing! Review! Review! Review! Reviews boost my confidence, so unless you want a bad finish, I suggest you review! I just might finish this one before the new year, after Christmas!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Queen Sunstar: One review is all I got from the 291 hits. Please, tell me what you think of this story. Here is the last chapter.**

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Tails flew lower, landing the X Tornado outside Rockwell Ruins.

"We are here. I'll wait here with the X Tornado." Tails said.

"Got it. Silver, lets move." Shadow and Silver took off. They entered the ruins, and looked for the shrine Chaos mentioned. It wasn't long before they found it. The two hedgehogs strolled into the shrine, which looked just like the one on Angel Island. They walked up to the altar, and Shadow placed the Emerald on the stand. The room shook violently, and the seven hedgehogs from before appeared, with Sonic.

"Is this what you want, Sonic?" Cyclone asked.

"Yes. I want life." Sonic said.

"Then so be it." Velocity said, "It was nice meeting you, Sonic. You will join us on the day you die."

Sonic nodded, and stepped toward the dull light. He could hear voices, Shadow and Silver, calling his name.

"I am coming!" Sonic started to run. He broke out into the milky daylight, and saw his own body, with Silver begging him to live.

"Oh great, out of body experience." Sonic floated over to his body, and dropped into it. He felt his blood move as his heart started to beat. His muscles, cold and lifeless, heated up once more.

"Shadow, Sonic is alive!" Silver screamed.

"We did it!" Shadow felt yet another new emotion, joy. He was happy to see that one of his friends living again.

"**You two did well. As I promised, all will become clear. Long ago, there was one Emerald, the master emerald. As each generation brought forth a hero, a new emerald formed as that ages hero sacrificed himself or herself against Dark Oak. Each fight weakened the being further. As each of these Heroes died, they prayed that someday, someone would come forward and kill the Dark Oak. It took a unified front of two heroes, fighting to avenge their fallen comrade, to destroy him. Now, for phase two of your journey. Sonic may live, but without the emerald his sacrifice created, he will not awaken. Take that emerald, and use it to revive him. Only Amy, his lover, can do this. Take him to her. Show her the emerald, and she will know what to do.**" Chaos said.

"Got it. What happens next?" Silver asked.

"**Sonic should reawaken, and not remember being dead. Go now, as you have until sundown tonight, or he really will die.**" Chaos said.

"Got it. Shadow, lets go." Silver said, levitating Sonic in front of him. They raced out to the X Tornado, and piled in.

"Sonic is alive again?" Tails asked, from the drivers seat.

"He will be, as soon as Amy uses his emerald on him. The sun is almost down. Tails, step on it." Shadow said.

"Got it!" Tails hit several buttons, and the X Tornado took flight. He flew home. They ran into trouble part way there.

"Eggman, 5:00!" Silver screamed, joining Tails at the helm. He took the weaponry station, sitting next to Tails.

"He is hailing us! Audio only! I'll put it on! What do you want now, Eggman?" Tails asked warily.

"Tails, why the attitude? I simply came out to stop you from getting home! In two hours, Sonic will be dead, and I will win!" Eggman laughed evilly.

"Never, Egg breath!" Shadow screamed, "Blast him, Silver!"

"Um, Tails? Which button?" Silver turned to Tails.

"Red! No wait, Blue! No wait again, red!" Tails screamed, trying to outmaneuver the Eggmobile.

"Which one is it?" Silver asked.

"Just push a button, and pray it's the right one!" Shadow screamed.

Silver stared at the console in front of him, and decided. He pushed down the red button, and the ship rumbled.

"Tails, what was that?" Shadow asked.

"I don't know." Tails said.

"TAILS!" both hedgehogs screamed.

"You built this thing! What do you mean you don't know?" Shadow asked.

The rumbling grow more violent, and a red beam lanced out from the underbelly of the X Tornado, and sliced the Eggmobile in half. Eggman was in one side, while his cohorts, Becoe and Decoe, were on the other half. Both halves fell toward the river, and floated down stream.

"Now I remember, that was the Laser knife that I installed. It cuts everything except flesh." Tails said, landing outside of Amy's house.

"Should somebody go give Amy a heads up?" Silver asked.

"I'll go. Silver, hand me the emerald." Shadow said.

"Shadow, I thought you had the emerald." Silver said.

"Silver, that's not funny. Stop playing around and give me the emerald." Shadow said.

"Shadow, I honestly do not have the emerald." Silver said.

"Oh no, we left it behind!" Shadow screamed, Tails, fly back! Quickly!"

"There's no time! The sun will be gone in fifteen minutes!" Tails cried.

"SILVER! I AM SO GOING TO KILL YOU!" Shadow screamed, diving on top of Silver, and started punching him.

"Shadow! Sto-ow!" Silver cried, defending himself.

"STOP IT!" Tails screamed at them. They both stopped.

"Fighting is getting us nowhere, isn't it? Shadow, you are about as fast as Sonic is, and you could get to the emerald and back here in time, right?" Tails asked.

"Maybe." Shadow said.

"Then go prove it!" Tails cried.

Shadow took off, running. He ran faster, pushing himself harder to go even faster. He reached the ruins, and raced into the shrine, sliding to a stop in front of the altar, where the Emerald was supposed to be. It wasn't there.

"No! this can't be happening! This has got to be some kind of test!" Shadow punched the wall in frustration. He expected to feel pain, and felt nothing.

"What in the world? Could this be a dream?" Shadow wondered.

He imagined himself holding the emerald in his hand, and saw it in his hand.

"I don't believe it. I am dreaming this." Shadow said out loud.

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"Is Shadow awake yet?" Sonic asked weakly.

"Not yet." Tails said, his voice laced with emotion. He didn't want to believe what the doctors had told him. He didn't want to dwell on the fact his best friend was dying.

Silver was out in the hall of the hospital, pacing. Amy was in the room with Shadow. She was trying to wake him up. He finally walked into the room.

"Any luck?" He asked, "I don't know how much longer Sonic can hold out. What ever he has to tell Shadow, it has to be big." Silver said.

"I know, Silver. Shadow, you need to wake up! This is important!" Amy tried desperately.

"Shadow, I know you can hear us. Sonic is dying, and he wants to talk to you! Please wake up!" Silver added.

Shadow woke up.

"I am really awake this time, right?" He asked.

"Yes, you are awake. You have been knocked out cold for the last three days. Shadow, Sonic is dying. He wishes to talk to you." Amy said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Then lets not keep him waiting." Shadow got up, and nearly fell flat on his face, "A little help, here?"

Silver let Shadow lean on him for support, and together the three hedgehogs walked across the hall to Sonic's room.

"Finally. I want to talk to Shadow alone. I will call you in after I finish talking to him." Sonic said, sounding weaker then before. He coughed. Tails joined Amy and Silver in the hall, with Knuckles, Rogue, and Cream. Amy cried silently into a tissue with Rogue and Cream consoling her. Knuckles's face remained impassive, and tails remained quiet.

"You wanted to talk to me, Sonic." Shadow said, sitting in a chair.

"You remember the battle, Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"Um, I was knocked out, and you died." Shadow said.

"You were knocked out early in the battle, Shadow. Dark Oak poisoned me. I am dying as we speak. The poison weakened me, and soon, I'll go into a coma, and die. Shadow, I am asking that you continue the fight in my place, against Eggman. Can you do that for me?" Sonic said, coughing again.

"I can, and I will continue that fight. There is something you are not telling me, Sonic." Shadow said, "And I think I should know."

"Shadow, you woke up, and destroyed the Dark Oak in one blow. You were white with blue tipped quills. I have never seen such perfect control over all seven Chaos Emeralds like that. Even the Dark Oak was surprised. As you wasted him, he poisoned me." Sonic explained, coughing violently, "Guys, you may come in now."

"I remember that, I saw that in my dream. You were the Eighth Emerald." Shadow said.

"Shadow, There are only seven. You must have been dreaming." Sonic said.

"Sonic, It hurts right now. I can't be losing you. I don't want to raise our daughter alone." Amy cried.

Everybody stared at her in complete shock.

"She isn't the only one." Rogue said, "And they are his." She pointed at Knuckles.

"What?" Knuckles squawked.

"Amy, my sweet Amy. I am not leaving you forever. I'll see you when it is your turn. Remember that I will always love you. No tears, my love. Tails, we have been together for so long. Now I must leave you. Don't look so down. Its not like I am leaving forever. Knuckles, we have had rough spots in our friendship, and I will not forget you. Cream, I'll miss your heroics. Silver, and Shadow, I see the beginnings of a powerful friendship. I'll miss the two of you. Rogue, you have saved me a few times. Our friendship may not have been strong, but it was there. I am going to a place where I can watch over you all, my friends." Sonics eyes closed. Ten minutes later, it was all over. Amy cried in Silvers arms, and Shadow didn't have to look to know that the silver hedgehog was crying to. Shadow turned back to the lifeless form of Sonic, and thought. He remembered his amnesia, not knowing his past, and how Sonic had helped him through it. Sonic had been there has he started to remember things from his past.

Silver was facing Sonic as Amy cried. He remembered that Sonic had been the one to find him on that mountain, and convince him to help out in the fight against Eggman. Sonic had been there when Silver came into his powers, and had helped him learn to control them.

As she cried, Amy wondered how she was going to handle being a single mother. She felt as if her heart had been broken.

'_I should have told him before he went into battle, and got poisoned! Why did I wait so long?_' Amy wondered.

Quietly, a nurse walked in and covered the body. She stood by and watched as the friends and family left. Only then, did she wheel the body down to the morgue.

**THE END**

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**Queen Sunstar: I should be in bed asleep as it is 12:51 am. I have finally finished Unity, and laid in the ground work for another story, which will come later, after I finish my other stories. Review, and tell me what you think! Please Review! I am getting desperate! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! This story has had over 291 hits, and one reviewer. Review!**


	5. News

**Queen Sunstar: **A new ending, new bad guy, but the same basic idea, fully rewritten. Yes, I am rewriting Unity. I never liked how this story came out and it feels rushed. The story is not up to the quality and skill I am known for. Here is the summary.

Peace has settled over Mobius. Dr. Eggman is gone. Life has settled down. Knuckles can't relax. He is still receiving horrifying visions of an apocalyptic future. He knows something big and bad is coming. At night, strange storms wreak havoc over the land. It is during one of these storms that Silver has a vision of the sky being torn apart. Sonic begins having nightmares where he is ruthlessly chased. Fed up with what is going on, Knuckles demands answers from Chaos. He learns that an ancient darkness that was sealed long ago by the forces of the light is beginning to crack its seal. This darkness has many names. Some call it the Hungry Dark, the Evil Night, the Absence of Light, and so forth. Plans are made to stop the darkness.

The evil has a name that will be revealed in story as well as a few other surprises. I plan to work this story which will still have a sequel, around October. This gives me time to work on my other one, Chaos Quest.


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